Method of making bearing seats



Oct. 3, 1939. A. LEFERE METHOD OF MAKING BEARING SEATS Filed Nov'. 29, 1937 ffy/ Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES j A i 2,175,084

PATENT OFFICE METHOD F MAKING BEARING SEATS Application November 29, 1937, Serial No. 177,036

3 Claims.

This invention relates to wheel hubs and to a process for making the same. More particularly the invention relates to the provision of bearing seats in wheel hubs and of structure for facilitating machining of the same. Heretofore bearing seats in wheel hubs have been machined from the hub wall, thickened to provide the necessary metal for machining- Bearing seats have also been provided in sheet metal hubs forming a plu- ]0 rality of circumferentially aligned nubs by a punching operation from the outside of the hub. However, in forged hubs, such a punching operation is impossible and the provision of extra metal to permit machining increases the cost and weight.

According tothe present invention, a bearing seat is provided in a forged hub by axially scoring the interior of the hub to upset a plurality of circumferentially aligned nubs, An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a bearing seat by upsetting the metal from the interior surface of the hub.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bearing seat by axially moving an upsetting tool into one end of a hub for providing a bearing seat by upsetting.

Still another object of the invention is to provide drivers by scoring to upset nubs on a hub for preventing rotation of the hub on a chuck during machining.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved wheel hub having a novel bearing seat and driving means.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specication when taken with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing a hub on a die about to have formed the nubs for providing a bearing seat therein,

Fig, 2 is a partial section showing the upsetting action of the nub forming die,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the hub as it comes from the die of Fig. 1 with the bearing nubs formed therein,

Fig. 4 is an end view of the hubshowing the nubs on the inner wall thereof, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a wheel hub wherein both bearing nubs and driving nubs are provided.

Referring particularly to the drawing, reference character I indicates a press bed to which is secured by a bolt 2 a punch holder 3 and a punch 4. 'I'he bolt 2 also serves to hold the punch 4 to the punch holder 3. Slidably mounted about and with respect to the punch 4 and the punch holder 3 is a locator 5 provided with water passages 6 and water inlets 1. Water is directed into the inlets 'I from external nozzles. The locator 5 is secured by set screws 8 to a ring 9 comprising a part of and projecting upwardly from two laterally extending lifting arms I3. The punch '5 holder 3 is provided with a plurality of axially extending channels II for the purpose of conducting scale, water and any other foreign substances to the press bed. Disposed about the punch 4 and its holder 3 is an annular frame I4 "10 having a base iange I5 by which it is secured to the press bed I, and opposed vertically extending slots I6 through which project the lifting arms I0.

Disposed within the frame I4 and beneath the lifting arms I0 and ring 9 is a helical spring I1 "15 which yieldably resists downward movement of the locator 5 and the lifting arms I0 and returns the locator 5 to its upper position. When a heavy hub is being worked on the lifting arms I0 may be connected yieldably in a known manner for 20 movement with the press plunger to supplement the spring I'I in returning the locator 5 to its upper position.

Arranged above the locator 5 is a movable die I9 having a central opening 20 providing a shear- 25 ing edge for cooperation with the punch 4 for punching out the web 2|, The die I9 is also provided with an outer shearing edge 22 for cooperation with the trimming die 23 mounted on the frame I4 to trim the ilash 24 from the hub 30 blank 25.

In carrying out the process comprising the present invention a hub blank 25 is taken immediately from the original forming dies While it still has its initial heat and is placed in the loca- 35 tor 5, the locator 5 being of such a configuration as to snugly receive the lower outer surface of the hub blank 25. The die I9 is then lowered over the hub blank 25 engaging the flanges thereof and forcing the same together with the locator 40 5 downwardly against the action of the spring I'I Since the punch 4 is stationary there is a relative movement between the punch 4 and the die I9 with the result that the web 2| of the blank 25 is punched out and the upper portion of the 45 hub is radially expanded by the punch 4 in the manner disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 1,913,492. At the same time, however, a plurality of circumferentially spaced upsetting dies 21 in the lower portion of the punch 4 score or gouge 50 out from the interior surface of the blank 25 channels 28 as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. 'Ihe action of each die 2'I causes an upsetting of the metal of the interior of the hub blank 25 to form a nub 29. As shown particu- 56 Cil larly in Fig. 2, the nubs 29 are formed by the dies 21 causing metal from the interior of the hub blank 25 to flow ahead of them as the punch 4 moves relatively to the hub blank 25.

It is to be understood that while it is preferred that the present process be carried out in combination with the punching and expanding process disclosed and claimed in my aforementioned patent, the combined operation is not essential and the nubs provided according to the present process may be formed as a separate operation.

In Fig. 5 is disclosed a vertical section of a hub in which there are formed in addition to the nubs 29 a second series of nubs 30 which are formed in the same manner as the nubs 29 and may be formed in a different operation or simultaneously with the forming of the nubs 29. The nubs 39 constitute drivers against which a bearing may be had to resist slipping movement of the hub when the same is chucked for machining. Fig. 5 also discloses in dotted outline the finished hub after it has been machined. It will be observed that the machining of the bearing seat 3| removes a part of the metal from the side wall of the hub and a part of the nubs 29. The bearing seat thus provided is partly annular and partly formed by radial projections from the annular portion, the projections being the nubs 29.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the provision of a bearing seat according to the present invention permits the use of a less heavy side wall for the hub in order to provide an adequate bearing seat. Another feature of the invention is that my new bearing seat facilitates the removal of a bearing therefrom. The usual practice is to press fit the outer race of a bearing into the hub. 'The outer race of a bearing in my hub has exposed, due to the radial projecting nature of the nubs 29, portions of its inner end. Thus a tool may be placed against said inner exposed end portions and subjected to blows to drive the bearing from the hub.

Having thus described my invention, what I wish to protect by Letters Patent and claim is:

l. The process of manufacturing a wheel hub or the like, which comprises forging a metal blank having a hollow interior, upsetting by scoring and flowing of the metal a plurality ofcircumferentially aligned nubs within said hub from the material adjacent the surface of the interior wall of said hub, and machining an annular radially extending seat in said hub through said nubs in such a manner that a portion of each nub projects inwardly from said seat to provide additional surface for said seat to that provided by the body.

2. The process of manufacturing a wheel hub or the like, which comprises heating a metal slug, forging a blank having a hollow interior, and While the metal is in its original heat scoring the interior surface of said hub to upset by flowing a plurality of nubs from the material adjacent the surface of the inner wall of said hub, some of said nubs being in circumferential alignment to provide a bearing seat, and the remainder of said nubs being inwardly disposed n said hub from said circumferentially aligned nubs to provide drivers for use in the machining of said hub.

3. In the process of manufacturing a wheel hub or the like, heating a metal slug, forging from the slug a blank having a hollow interior, and subjecting the blank to a second operation while the metal is in its original heat, in which a plurality of circumferentially aligned nubs are upset by scoring and flowing of the metal from adjacent the surface of the interior wall of the hub, and machining an annular radially extending seat in the hub through said nubs, in such a manner that a portion of each nub projects inwardly from said seat to provide additional surface for said seat to that provided by the body.

ALIDOR LEFERE. 

